Thanks for the wonderful trip reports. They gave me more reasons to return to Buffalo, depending on the welcome at the border! I think the best way to do this is to pull up, turn the engine off and settle in for a chat... Going home I was quizzed about the weekend and asked for my favourite of all the places we visited. By that point my brain was custard but I was even able to spell Schwabl's.

Re Tim Hortons: I didn't visit one on this trip but will go back to the Tims that was near the Roadfood Weekend hotel. That's two reasons to return to that area: Tims and Charlie the Butcher(?). Beef on weck at Schwabl's was my weekend highlight and I want to see what the competition does. So when I do my next weck weekend I'll check out Tims to see if they offer the same menu as here in Canada and whether the coffee tastes the same.

My personal favourite (no, that is not a spelling mistake) at Tims is the turkey club on brown - the honey mustard is a great touch. They've recently added several blueberry items - may be just seasonal but they're wonderful.

You've made me think about the Canadian addiction to Tims. Consistency, maybe, but I think the coffee flavour (yup, we use u here) is stronger than Mcdonalds or Coffee Time.

If you ever do a Roadfood tour of Tims, be sure to visit the Hamilton, Ontario, location that was the first-ever Tim Hortons. It hasn't been modernized and there's a showcase of hockey memorabilia. (An aside: Hamilton, Ontario, is the location of the most recent Woody Harrelson movie that debuted last week at the Toronto International Film Festival.)

Thanks to everyone for a fantastic weekend - Jane, Michael, Stephen, what a team!

And can someone tell me how to create an avatar?

Cheers,

Carol

I love Tim Horton's and remember when he played for the Sabres & the Leafs and the sad accident on the Q.E.W. on the way back from the Leafs game that took his life.

Day 5(Con) After the Buffalo zoo, I continued my Frank Lloyd Wright explorations. Wright's Buffalo patron Darwin Martin had Mr Wright design a lakeside summer home in Derby, New York, just south of the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg. The house is located just above a 70 ft. bluff over Lake Erie and is called Greycliff. Wright's theme here was water and to the left of the main entrance there are widows that allow one to see through the house to the the Canadian mainland beyond. There are a lot of windows and all but 3 rooms in the house have a view of the lake. There are ponds in the front of the house and every path and room on property is designed to get you to look out at the lake. Mrs. Martin had complained that the family's main house was too dark so she made Wright provide more light which he did but not happily. The house was built from 1927 to 1929 and is kind of a transitional work between the prairie style of his younger days and the later concrete forms of Falling Water and the Hollyhock house. Not as many overhangs, cleaner lines and less dark than usual. The house is undergoing restoration and renewal and will probably be further along in restoration in coming years. Well worth a visit. During the drive back to my hotel I stopped at Mike's Candy Shop. Michael Stern had told me of a candy there called stolen havens that was light milk chocolate and had fresh nuts. When I stepped into the place she was telling a regular about Michael Stern's recent visit, the mention on the website and how she thought he was writing another book and the place might be mentioned. She was very excited. I mentioned the eating tour and she again was stoked. I mentioned Michael's recommendation, said I only wanted a little so she gave me 5 pieces and comped them, saying that the Sterns' recommendation was one of the best things that had ever happened to the store. I thanked her profusely and left, once again awed by the friendliness of western New Yorkers and the deep and abiding affection the local restauranteurs in the area seem to have for Jane and Michael. I went over to the Buffalo Brew Pub in Williamsville for one last beef on weck This place is reviewed in the new 500 things to eat with the note they marinate the roast beef in one of their brews. It was very tasty and my second homesickness inducing restaurant visit of the day. My hometown of Portland is microbrew heaven and I told my server to surprise me and she brought me an Oktoberfest brew that was quite satisfying. I had one more place to go and I was driving so I had to limit myself to one beer but the selection looked good. My last Buffalo eating stop was Duff's for chicken wings. My server at Charlie the Butchers had recommended them strongly on day one and I wanted to try. The servers there wear t-shirts that say medium is hot, hot is very hot and extra hot is taking your life into your hands. I ordered medium light and they were pretty hot. I liked them better than Anchor's but they were spiced to my taste. Unlike Emilylou, I did use my fingers which contained a tasteful melange of chicken, sauce and bleu cheese. I washed everything down with the local speciality of loganberry juice and drove back to my hotel a happy man, grateful for a week of great sightseeing, wonderful food, and boon companionship.

I loved your report. Photos are great but it is so nice to just sit and read each word and imagine. Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the people that I admire for his talent and all that he accomplished. My son's home is filled with "prairie style" furniture and and books about him. Fallingwater is one of our favorite places...............his budget does not allow for staying overnight but it is fun to think about.

It is also nice to read your comments on the friendliness of the people in Western New York..............all of New York State is much the same.........................very nice people who are interested in others.

Re Tim Hortons: I didn't visit one on this trip but will go back to the Tims that was near the Roadfood Weekend hotel. That's two reasons to return to that area: Tims and Charlie the Butcher(?). Beef on weck at Schwabl's was my weekend highlight and I want to see what the competition does. So when I do my next weck weekend I'll check out Tims to see if they offer the same menu as here in Canada and whether the coffee tastes the same.

Had a chance to do the above this afternoon on the way home from Pennsylvania. First, coffee at the Tim Hortons across the street from Charlie the Butcher. It had more flavour than what I expect from American coffee but I don't think the flavour is as strong as the Canadian brew. And it was slightly bitter. This afternoon's price was comparable, at $1.21 US v $1.23 Cdn; I noticed that just south of Syracuse the price was $1.25 US before taxes, and the Smile cookies were $1 US compared with $1 Cdn. Overall, I would buy another Tims in the US. (I had a good cup of coffee at the Lehigh University stadium yesterday and, on Wednesday, a lovely lunch at Mollie's in Stroudsburg, Pa.)

Then I went across the street to Charlie the Butcher. This may be a dreadfully unfair comparison, Charlie the Butcher at 3 p.m. on a Sunday v arriving at Schwabl's with Jane and Michael Stern and sixty others, plus having wonderful company to dine with at Schwabl's. But today's experience was a disappointment. The bun appeared to be a hamburger bun. Too much bread made the sandwich dry compared with what I recall from Schwabl's. The roast beef was not as delicately sliced. The meat was flavourable and a nicely-done medium rare. The salt and caraway flavours were mild; I had to add lots of horseradish to get a kick out of the flavour. Overall, I was glad that I hadn't driven three hours from home just to eat at Charlie the Butcher's. A better test might be to eat at Schwabl's and Charlie the Butcher's on the same day. At this point I am just going to enjoy my Roadfood weekend memories.